Tiny Terrors Day 14 Part 2: Leprechaun Returns

  Here we are, we hit the end of the line in Tiny Terrors. What a big journey this has been. Again, thank you for checking this out. I hope that it's been enjoyable. Let's round out this series in style. Join me as we close out the Leprechaun franchise with Leprechaun Returns.     

     In 2018, Michael Myers returned to the big screen with Halloween. It was a huge success. Other studios had heard through the grapevine what Jason Blum and Blumhouse had in store. It was something that couldn't go unnoticed. I am guessing that had Lionsgate going through their library of films to see if they could try something similar. It turns out that they were in luck. 

    By this point, Lionsgate had bought the Leprechaun franchise. They had tried their hands at crafting two previous films. One of them was a bit of a disaster (Back 2 Da Hood) and the other just didn't hit with audiences (Leprechaun Origins). Honestly, it was a bit of a shame with Leprechaun Origins. It just provided a different take on the franchise which was a bit of fresh air at that point. 

    They decided that the third time was the charm. Taking a note out of Halloween's playbook, Lionsgate decided to craft a direct sequel to the original Leprechaun. Originally series creator Mark Jones was asked to return as an executive producer, however due to a financial disagreement he passed on the project. Steven Kostanski was brought in to direct the film, which was written by Suzanne Kelly. Jennifer Aniston was also asked to return, which she thanked them for doing. But she didn't return due to again financial disagreement. This led to shifting the story a little bit. And lastly, we have Warwick Davis. He was asked to return, however his views on horror had shifted after becoming a father. So he respectfully declined. This is definitely something that I will admit is a bit respectable. 

    The story picks up 25 years later after the original film. We meet Lila (Taylor Spreitler), the daughter of Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston's character from the original). She's joined a sorority (which is part of an Eco-Science Premiere college) who now owns the property that was featured in the original film. They are spending their summer turning the house into a perfect living "green" abode. Basically, they trying to have the house run off of solar energy and be able to grow their own vegetables and such. Honestly, that's not a bad idea. Unfortunately for them, their presence has unleashed Lubdan the Leprechaun. Now, they are working on surviving till they can find a way to put him away. 

    When I first watched this film, I was highly skeptical of it. Part of me felt like it was potentially trying to capture the lightning in a bottle that was Halloween (2018). But after viewing it again, Leprechaun Returns is an interesting sequel. It does a decent job of picking things up from the first film. We also get to see Ozzie (Mark Holton) return. Unfortunately it's not for very long as he's the first to go. But he's utilized in a very interesting way later on as he's a ghost that Lila can see. So, he's around to help. His death is definitely one that was memorable as it was a very heavy handed homage to Alien with the chest burster. It's also a nice bit of continuity as Ozzie had swallowed the gold piece in the original film. 

    This also brings me to the Leprechaun. Linden Porco delivers a very solid performance as the Leprechaun. He is able to make it his own a little bit, but it's definitely channeling Warwick Davis. It definitely feels like it's the same Leprechaun from the first film. 

    Now, the whole sorority angle could have been extremely cheesy. But surprisingly, it was handled a little bit well. Even if it feels like it's the sorority girls from Sorority Row. The nice thing though is that they all feel different. They are not of the cookie cutter variety where they feel like a Stepford Wife in terms of you can't tell them apart. Also it helps that the cast in this film is pretty small. And yeah, there is an equivalent of Chugs from Sorority Row. That's honestly probably the one character that felt a bit annoying in one scene. But later on, she's not terrible. 

    The killings in this film are interesting. Yeah, we have the loving homage to Alien with the Leprechaun belly burster. It was handled very well and looked pretty cool. The death of the mailman did feel a little like it was thrown in at the last minute. But my question is if the Leprechaun was able to pull the mailman's head into the mailbox, why didn't it squish the mailman into it? I mean that is one way that could have went down. Instead the Leprechaun jumps into the mail truck and then backs over him. Again, it's not exactly a bad kill. It's pretty solid. Later on, we see one character get sliced in half by a giant solar panel. 

    Overall, all the aspects of this film seem to work together really well. Partially I wish they would have had a little more money on the budget, but it's not bad. This is definitely a sequel that is a return to form for this franchise. Plus, it's nice hearing the Leprechaun once again with his banter. There have been other entries that have been worse. But definitely a nice one to go out with. Especially as it is nicely paced.

Rating: 4 out of 5. (It's on par with the original. Better than 2, imo.) 

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Tiny Terrors Day 12: Leprechaun In Da Hood

After going to Vegas and Space, where could Leprechaun go next? Well, to be honest Inwould have been okay with it just chilling. I never expected them to say we want the Leprechaun to go to the hood next. Yes, I have the collection on Blu ray for the specific reason being that's where all the special features are. And you can be sure, I will be checking out the features for the next two Leprechaun films. 

Leprechaun in the Hood was the final film of the Trimark Era. After that, it would find a home over at Lionsgate. I remember when this was released, I saw it on the video shelf and just rolled my eyes. It just seemed so out there. But then again, Leprechaun had last finished in Space - so it made sense that we would get a new present day story. 

However, this is the film that has Ice T in it. I repeat Ice T. Absolutely crazy to think that Ice T is in a Leprechaun film. It is great casting because it sets the bar. It also helps set the tone of the film. 

In each Leprechaun film, we have seen him searching for something. This time around, he's searching for his missing golden flute. It was taken by Ice T as it give success to those who possess it. I won't lie, this was an interesting macguffin. Definitely adds a bit of different lore bits to the franchise. 

Now, this was a step up from In Space. It doesn't take itself seriously. It has fun with and embraces the horror comedy. Once again, Warwick Davis consistently brings more to the films. He's the large lynchpin to the success. 

While listening to the commentary for In The Hood, I learned that the film was shot in 14 days. Holy crap. That is super quick. Adding that to consideration when looking at the film, I definitely have to give them credit. They were able to put together a competent film. Each of the actors do a solid job in the film. In my opinion, no one oversteps into ludicrous territory. 

So at this point, I haven't talked about the story. Three guys that wish to break into the music industry. After they were rejected by a successful man in the industry, they take it upon themselves to get what they deserve. After one bad decision and a heist gone wrong, they find the Leprechaun hot on their tails. 

That's basically the jist of everything. It's a very small story. But after Space, this is a breath of fresh air. It doesn't feel stale or it overstays its welcome. It's also interesting to see the Leprechaun in this environment. Especially as there was a cut to him and he's surrounded by women. Seems like the Leprechaun has been finding his way in the world.

The gore in this film is a bit smaller in scale. The kills are pretty good. Can say that this is the first instance of a death by afro pick. I can just hear Joe Bob now referring to it as Afro Pick-Fu. Plus Ice T loses his finger to the Leprechaun. Talk about finger food. 

Overall, this was a fun film. It wasn't too bad. It never felt like it lagged. If you wish to watch a Leprechaun sequel, I would recommend it.

Rating: 3 out of 5. Better than 2 and Space. 

I was going to cover Leprechaun Back 2 Da Hood. However, that will not be the case. I found it to be very lacking when compared to the first Hood film. It's a skip it. 

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Tiny Terrors Day 8: Leprechaun 3 and Leprechaun 4

Hello everyone, welcome back to Tiny Terrors. For those tuning in, we are on Day 8. We have managed to pass the halfway mark of this series now. I would say that is a pretty big feat. 

Today, let's take a look at Leprechaun 3 and 4. Shall we?

Leprechaun 3 was the first installment of the Leprechaun franchise to be released straight to video. It was released in 1995. At this point in time, Leprechaun was doing very well. People had enjoyed the first two films. And Warwick Davis was a much bigger name as well. 

The Leprechaun arrives at a Las Vegas pawn shop after having been turned into a statue via a medallion. The pawn shop owner removes the medallion freeing the Leprechaun. He's quick to express his 'gratitude' by way of axe. The Leprechaun then sets out on the town. He's seeking out a gold wish coin that was taken from him. It's been passing from person to person. A college boy, Scott, is caught up in all of this along with his girlfriend, Tammy. 

Okay. So I remember when this was released asking my Dad if could rent it on pay per view. He just said sure. But I can remember he didn't watch it with me. However, upon this rewatch - it had me wondering what was my Dad thinking. 

I know I ragged on Leprechaun 2 a little bit. It was a bit slow paced. It felt corny. It felt like a quick script over. Which yes, there was all that. 

This film however felt fast paced. It didn't lag really. Warwick Davis was able to fully embrace and go balls to the wall crazy with his performance. And he does so with a smile on his face. I mean, come on. This is probably my favorite performance in the franchise. 

The fun thing about this film is that we had Caroline Williams from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. It was fun seeing her in this. She plays a magician assistant, if I recall correctly. She just has a harsh view on how she looks. Which doesn't help that the Magician is a total douchebag. So, I would consider her death to be the big one of the film. It's definitely the most memorable and the biggest standout. She just wanted to look nice. That was her wish. However, Leprechaun twists like Wishmaster would do kills her by exploding her. 

It's interesting this film. I've seen it a few times. However when it comes to the acting, it's clear that outside of the Leprechaun is a bit of window dressing if you will. These are Warwick's films. So, yeah...outside of him and Caroline there wasn't much more memorable in terms of performances. 

I feel like covering that big death. Everything else seemed a bit less. Like this one was the big standout and everything else was like eh.

Overall, this is a fun film. It's a bit of a popcorn horror film. I would say that this franchise fits that category. It's a nice watch whenever need something to just throw on. 

Rating: 3 out of 5. 

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Further we go into the Leprechaun franchise. Let's go into Leprechaun 4.

So, they needed to shake things up. Leprechaun had gone to the country side in the first film. Then he went to Las Vegas in the last film. Where else could he go next?

At this point, I honestly feel like they had the white board from Cabin In The Woods and were throwing darts at it. Like, oh we did Vegas. Now we gotta do Space. Or people like Alien - so let's do a film like Alien but instead put the Leprechaun in it.

Joking aside, how does this film fare? 

This film is hugely disappointing. It's just an abomination of a film. It's a stupid concept. I understand that this potentially could be a hot take. And I apologize if I may offend. But it's a stupid concept. 

This could have been a quick cash grab for a film. That honestly would explain things so much. But okay, I'm gonna try and sum things up.

On a distant planet in the hear 2096, the Leprechaun has been courting a Princess. (Massive respect here, we have our guy finally finding a girl. Good for him.) However, both of them are planning to try to kill the other to consummate their marriage. 

Space Marines (cause we gotta have those. It's not space without them) arrive. One of them attempts to steal gold..but killed by a Leprechaun lightsaber (oh my goodness). The Leprechaun is killed by a grenade. However, his spirit hides in one of the marine's penis and poses as gonorrhea. I kid you not. This is what happens. How artsy of them. 

Marines return to the spaceship with the Princess. The Cyborg Captain sees the Princess blood has regenerative abilities and yeah, he's like I gotta get me that. The Leprechaun explodes out the marine's penis during a scene with a female marine after the marine is aroused. (Viagra get that shit outta here. Ya need more green.)

Marines hunt on the ship while Leprechaun outsmarts them. Shit happens and goes down. The Cyborg Pilot turns into a scorpion spider hybrid at one point. Oh my goodness.

The Princess literally distracts the Marines at one point by flashing them. Should I keep going? Okay, well the Leprechaun ends up exploding on the main ship while a pair of Marines escape in a pod..they witness the Leprechaun's giant hand flipping them off.

Yeah....

That's basically what happens in this film. At this point, I will say that this is a poor film. It's very balls to the wall in slapstick. It feels like a parody of scifi movies and the Leprechaun movies. They certainly crossed the line with their cheesiness. Outside of the exploding penis, there wasn't many memorable deaths. And outside of Warwick, there wasn't many memorable acting performances. 

Rating: 2 out of 5. At this point, this felt like a jump the shark moment with the franchise. It's easy to see the ship starting to sink. 

Come back on Friday for more goodness here at The Blue!

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Tiny Terrors Day 6: Leprechaun (1993) and Leprechaun 2 (1994)

Here, we are at the end of our second week of Tiny Terrors. This week, we had a nice look at the beginnings of each of our three franchises (Child's Play, Puppet Master and Leprechaun). It's been an interesting one - even with me switching up to two films per day after Monday. The best part of it is that it allowed me to group the entries into different themes. This will pay off on Monday when we take a look at Child's Play 2 and 3. 

Today, we are back to our old friend the Leprechaun. After last week's entry with his cousin Jeff, we are now seeing the title character himself. Join me as I express my thoughts on Leprechaun 1 and 2. 

Leprechaun was released in 1993. It was written and directed by Mark Jones and released by Trimark Pictures. This was the first film that was made in-house for a theatrical release from Trimark Pictures. 

The film's story is an interesting one. It follows a Leprechaun as he searches for the love of his life. He is very broken about it. And he does not know what he shall do without the love of his life - his pot o' gold. It's a very touching story...almost a romantic comedy in a sense. But tis a story as old as time. 

Well, that's the way the Leprechaun sees it. In truth, he's a cold, vile, evil, sadistic creature that will go on a rampage to find his gold. Unfortunately this rampage has him terrorizing the new resident of a house, Tory (Jennifer Aniston) and the three guys helping fix the house. Well, it's more like two and a half - Nathan (Ken Olandt), Ozzie (Mark Holton) and Alex (Robert Hy Gorman). Now, they must find a way to last the night against the Leprechaun. 

The cast in this film do a great job. It's very interesting considering that this is Jennifer Aniston's film debut. She doesn't have a problem showing the valley girl/spoiled brat persona in her performance. It's a bit of a layered performance in a way. And towards the end of the film, she doesn't necessarily play a girl in distress. Ken Olandt delivers a solid performance as the straight man to Mark Holton and Robert Hy Gorman's characters. He's the serious of the three that's taken a bit of a liking to Aniston's Tory. There's also some chemistry between them. Mark Hilton's Ozzie is phenomenal. He is a very straightforward character with a huge heart of gold. He is the film's heart in a way. He's the one that we want to protect and not see any harm come to. There is a genuine sincerity to his performance. And it's what elevates the character of Ozzie to a memorable one. And then there's Robert Hy Gorman's Alex. He's the youngest of the three. At times, however, he displays a maturity to where it feels like he's taking care of Nathan and Ozzie instead of the other way around. The friendship between Alex and Ozzie is also so well done. It could have easily been done where it was vast amounts of cheese. However, it's a genuine care between the characters that is displayed so well. 

And then, we have Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun. It's easy to see why his performance is held up so high. It's the amount of fun that is on display. At this point in his career, Davis hadn't had a lot of meaty roles. I mean there was Willow. But what I mean is a performance that is so layered by the amount of fun Davis has in the role. It's like a huge spark to the film. It's honestly one of the reasons why there had been so many sequels in this series. Seeing what Davis does with each turn as a Leprechaun is awesome. He is always finding something new to showcase about the character. Plus, he gets to have fun playing a rotten character. 

Originally this film was meant to be a very straight horror film. However as filming continued, it began to become apparent that it was dipping it's toes into the horror comedy genre. Plus if it had been so straightforward as a horror only film, it would have lost some of its charm. It's the way the Leprechaun moves about the screen that makes it so fun. It's a very welcome addition to horror comedy. There is some gore in the film. It was to the point where it's been said that there were reshoots to add more gore to the film. It was a way of reaching a more adult audience. 

It's very clear to see why Leprechaun has lasted. It's fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously. And it's Warwick Davis wonderful performance that has people coming back for more. 

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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After the success of the first film, a sequel became a no brainer for Leprechaun. This was something that was beginning to show it had some legs to it. And it wasn't just another brief entry in 90s horror. However, this was the last film in the franchise to receive a theatrical release. The remaining films were all released direct to video. 

Leprechaun 2 was released on April 8, 1994. This was a very fast tracked sequel as the original had released in October of 1993. It was written by Turi Meyer and Al Septien and directed by Rodman Flender. 

While this is a sequel to the first film, it's unclear if this is the same Leprechaun as that first one. None of the characters that survived from the first film return. This is a very stand apart film. Honestly, this helped set the tone for the Leprechaun films being more anthologic in it's approach. Wait, is that a word? Screw it, it is now. 

On his 1000th birthday, a mean Leprechaun gets to choose a bride by making her sneeze three times, then she's his...only the bride he chooses is the daughter of his slave (who fouls up the wedding). So the Leprechaun must wait until his 2000th birthday to claim the woman of his nightmares. The descendant of the woman he wanted to marry already has a boyfriend: a brave young boy named Cody, who lives with his swindler uncle Morty and together they run a tour company called Darkside Tours. 

Leprechaun soon wakes up, kills a bunch of people and kidnaps his bride to be. It's soon up to Cody to save her, and only wrought iron can destroy a Leprechaun. Morty has an idea, but it soon goes horribly wrong when he gets too greedy. Cody ventures into Leprechaun's home to save Bridget, but little does he know that a leprechaun's home has many surprises.

It's amazing at how quickly this film was put together. They kinda don't make these much like they used to. When I revisited this film, the thing that struck me was how similar it felt like Part 3 to me. Whenever I think about the sequels, my brain tended to mash Part 2 with Part 3. 

When compared to the first film, the Leprechaun is given more to work with. More chances for him to be diabolical. I mean come on, there's one death involving the lawnmower. That's a pretty brutal way to go. There's a bit more definition to the Leprechaun. They knew what was working and just dialed it to 11.

I honestly wish I could say more for the rest of the cast. Besides Davis, who delivers another outstanding performance. The rest of the cast feels there for the body count and more generic. It's a bit bad as I can't recall now exactly who was in the film. 

I know this is a short take on the first sequel, but there's not much more to work with. It feels like this was rushed to capitalize on the success of the first film. And it shows a little.

Rating: 3 out of 5. 

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Tiny Terrors Day 2: Leprechaun Origins

Well, we did it. We successfully managed to make it through our first installment. Only downside of it all was that Chucky was a huge diva. He somehow had heard that he wasn't our first choice for the first installment. The rest of the time consisted of him just continuing to monologue and declaring that He's the best there is and I'm Charles Lee Ray. Ugh...

I had hoped that Leprechaun wasn't going to be as bad. However, that was a bit of wishful thinking. He tried hiding in Leprechaun Returns. When I finally found him, I told him that we had to watch Origins cause he was in it. "Tis not I", he declared. "What?" "Tis my cousin Jeffrey.", He informed me, "He needed the part.". 

So there you have it. It was all Jeffrey, who just happens to look like a creature from The Descent. 

In 2014, the WWE Studios partnered with Lionsgate to bring the world Leprechaun Origins. This was written by Harris Wilkinson and directed by Zach Lipovsky. 

By this point, Leprechaun had been to Space. He had also gone to the hood....twice. With each installment, it felt like it was going further down the rabbit hole of Russian roulette with the franchise. And the fans weren't exactly feeling it. So the next step was to reboot it. 

As the continuing tradition has been, what do you do when you reboot? Why you recast and make something different, of course. Warwick Davis had played the Leprechaun for the previous six installments. He made the character iconic as he brought so much to the role. This left it kinda big shoes to fill. 

However, they were able to find someone up to the task. Dylan Postl. He is big in the wrestling world. That's about all I know of him as I am not very familiar with that scene. 

My first experience with this film wasn't a very positive one. This was another franchise I had grown up with. So, it already was facing some big odds as I was used to Warwick Davis. However, as time has passed on. I find myself appreciating Origins. 

It took a good look at the whiteboard that consists of everything Leprechaun and then wiped it all gone. Gone was the bantering of the Leprechaun. Gone was the Leprechaun as we knew him. Gone is most of the mythology as we knew it. 

In it's place, we are left with a different kind of story. This one is more grounded. Well about as grounded as you can get with a Leprechaun in it. It's also a more serious take on the story as well.

Four travellers their way to a local village in Ireland. While there, they encounter the locals who weave a tale that could woo any history majors. Nearby, there is a spot. It rumored to be the cradle of Celtic Ireland civilization. They are offered a place to spend the night then could travel to check things out. It seemed too good to be true

After settling in to their cabin for the night, they hear something outside. Unbeknownst to them, this would begin the longest night of their lives. It's revealed that a Leprechaun is the thing waiting to attack. 

They must survive the night and uncover the truth behind why the Leprechaun is attacking them. 

Looking back on the film, I spent some time wrestling with my thoughts on it. I also took some time to think about the original film. For the most part, I remembered the original had the Leprechaun trying to reclaim pieces of it's gold.  

For the most part, that's about as much in common as those two films share. The biggest change being that it's setting is Ireland and it focuses on a group of travellers. This brought a very Hostel type vibe to the film for me. Yes, we have a Leprechaun. But it kinda looks like an extra from The Descent. I understand this was a small film. And I'm not trying to knock it. It just takes awhile for it to grow on you. If it manages to do so. For some, it will. For some, it won't. 

However, the big reason why Dylan Postl was cast was for his acting using just his body language and eyes. Kinda an ideal person to bring this unique take to life. One that wouldn't be wrong to see in a Grimm Fairy Tale.

Actually that's a great way of explaining the Leprechaun. It's a more folklore based version than before. 

The actors and actresses in this film all do a good job. They make their characters likeable. To the point where I was wishing that some of them would survive. I know I haven't really stated who is in the movie yet. 

This is because the actors and actresses kinda blend into their characters. If that makes sense at all, let me know.

There is some gore in this film. But it's a tad light. It's never in your face. It felt like at one point the film could have been trying for a PG-13 rating. That definitely would explain why they don't show the deaths. It mostly happens off screen. 

As for the Leprechaun, it works. This is a more folklore based take than anything we had seen before. It definitely sets the tone Origins tries to set. Dylan Postl does a great job with what he is given. The performance carries through well when we see up close shots of its head. I know there are some people that wish we would have gotten a vocal Leprechaun. Or something closer to Warwick. 

For me personally, I would have been okay if in this film we got this take. But if it had done well, show the evolution of it. Have the Leprechaun evolve from this Descent dweller into the version that we are used to. It would add a breath of fresh air. And it would have established more to the lore the film is trying to establish.

I would say that this installment isn't necessarily bad. It is a bit misunderstood. A lot of people wrote the film off because it was doing things different. And it's not fair to the film to just write it off automatically. Let's give it a chance shall we? Is this better than the original? No. Is it universally terrible and bad? No. 

Again, just go into the film with an open mind. There are some people that will like it and some that won't. I would say that it would have been nice to see a sequel or hear where they would have taken things. 

Rating: 3 out of 5. 

(Not bad for a rainy day.)

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Stay tuned as we will be exploring Puppet Master The Littlest Reich on Friday.